Victoria Dining Guide

Wondering where to dine in Victoria? I LOVE trying new restaurants, and I've been compiling my BIG list of favourite eateries for more than a decade. Click the fork-and-spoon image to read my Victoria Dining Guide.

Victoria Savvy readers really are people in the know in this city. Reader Roodi shared a wonderful new local resource for do-it-yourselfers with the following comment on my blog about Victoria’s ReStore in Langford.

“A new place to get repurposed supplies in Victoria is RemoveandReuse.com. The website is well laid . . . → Click to read full blog

I was saddened when Panache Home Decor Consignment Boutique on Esquimalt Road closed its doors. Owner Jeff Isenor certainly gave it a good try, investing some five years in the neighbourhood. The closure, he promised, would not be permanent; he just needed to find a new, higher-traffic site for the . . . → Click to read full blog

With the holiday season on the horizon, I set out last night to search for some special Christmas cards for friends and family. By the time I left home around 5:30 p.m., I knew I would be too late for the six-o’clock-closing of two of my favourite shops: The Shieling . . . → Click to read full blog

In an interesting twist this morning, my own Scrimp or Splurge website gave me some exciting news for Victoria shoppers. A Google ad popped up on my home page proclaiming that Victoria’s new HomeSense store is NOW OPEN! Woohoo!

Is it better to give or to receive? At ReStore in Langford, home renovators are encouraged to do both.

ReStore is a building supply store like no other. Operated as a fundraising centre for Habitat for Humanity Victoria, the outlet sells building supplies it receives by donation. Some items are . . . → Click to read full blog

When Good Things closed earlier this year because of fire, smoke, and water damage, regular patrons feared it might be the end for this wonderful store. I’m happy to report . . . → Click to read full blog

I have a friend who shops regularly at Value Village, the sprawling, for-profit thrift store at 1810 Store Street in downtown Victoria. Gary is not a college student furnishing a first apartment or a funky alternative-dressing theatre type; not a thrifty shopper looking to clothe fast-growing children or to . . . → Click to read full blog